CO129-572-6 Hong Kong Seamen's Union- proposed proscription 22-1-1938 - 30-8-1938 — Page 17

- 9 -

17

The

was, by the terms of its constitution, to be placed in the hands of the Tung Wah Hospital Committee, a body

with long experience in handling trust funds. It became necessary, finally, to abandon this condition.

union survived for some years as one of a number of

seamen's clubs and lodging houses; but, owing to the hostility of the Chinese Seamen's Union, and the

resulting intimidation of its members as soon as they

entered Chinese ports, it was unable to establish itself,

and, in due course, closed its doors. The fate of this

venture illustrates one of the primary defects of these

unions, namely, the fact that they represent for the

most part a speculative venture by their promoters who

The

are apt to be interested in the profits to be made rather

than in the general benefit to their members.

affairs of many of the smaller unions see to be

administered with reasonable honesty. The income is

sufficient to cover little more than the rent of a flat

to be used as a meeting place, small salaries to the

permanent officials, and a grant for funeral expenses

when a member dies. But the posts of chairman and

secretary to an organisation such as the Seamen's Union

are prizes to be fought and intrigued for. A former

chairman of that institution (who had incidentally

represented the workers of China at Geneva) was recently accused openly of converting to his own use union funds amounting to $200,000. This accusation was, it is true,

brought by persons who were supporting a rival candidate for the chairmanship, but, since the unions seldom